If riding a bike is like running and pushing 30lbs of toddler.

I haven’t run with Zain in the jogging stroller since before the Iron Girl Half Marathon.  Between having to take time off to let my foot/ankle heal and then making a slow return to running, I’ve been avoiding the extra resistance on my runs for 3 weeks now by running outside alone or on the treadmill.  I was nervous about taking Zain out in the stroller today because I was afraid I’d lost all my stroller running skills.

I’m happy to report I made it through 6 slow pain-free miles.  I didn’t lose my stroller running strength.  I figured I’d have to walk most of the hills, but I didn’t need to.  I just walked one big one in the middle of the run and powered through the rest.  Zain was happy as can be to be out for a run again, especially because there is some new construction going on along our route.  That meant he got to see lots of backhoes – to him every type of construction equipment is a backhoe (not that I know the difference myself).  He had to say “hi backhoe!” to all of them.

Another cute thing he noticed was that in front of an office building we run past, they put new flowers in their big flower pots.  There used to be yellow flowers and now, there are red ones.  Zain kept saying “where go? where yellow?” Of course, yellow is pronounced “yeh-yo.”  He’s so entertaining and I missed his company on my runs, even though I didn’t miss the added resistance!

A return to stroller running means a return to non-stop snacking

Over the weekend, I was supposed to run a 5K.  It was another race in our neighborhood which is obviously quite convenient.  I ended up deciding not to run it to be on the safe side with my foot so I gave my bib to hubby.  It was pretty small race that benefited the music department at the local high school.  Hubby did awesome, finishing in 25:40.  The winner was a high school cross-country student that finished in 16:30.  Crazy fast!

I definitely could have run it since I was able to go for a nice 7 mile run on Sunday, but I wanted to actually try to race it, not just finish it.  I don’t think I’m ready to push myself yet since I’m just getting over my injury.

Hubby headed to the finish line

Zain and I are becoming experts at spectating

This weekend, hubby will be doing the Warrior Dash (a mud race with obstacles).  I was supposed to do this one as well, but I’m still trying to “take it easy” and I don’t think crawling on the ground and climbing over walls is the best idea.  I look forward to more spectating though!

Happy running!

Disclaimer: if you’ve had any kind of injury or other health problem that has kept you from running for 6-8 weeks or longer, I’m sorry that I’m being a whiny brat about a 1 week break from running.

First of all, I have to say – do as I say, not as I do.  I did not bother going to the doctor for my recent injury.  For every running injury I’ve had in the past, I’ve been checked out by the doctor.  I didn’t go this time because although I was in enough pain not to run, my pain was not severe.  I’m also not training for anything so I’m okay with taking some time to let my body heal while trying not to stress about it.

The pain from my foot/ankle injury has been fading away more and more every day.  I had planned to give myself until tomorrow to attempt running.  As of yesterday, it had been a week since I last ran and I was ANTSY.  It’s not like I’ve been a diehard runner all of my life and not running was totally foreign to me.  I’ve had plenty of times when I’ve taken weeks or months off from running without much thought.  There are 2 differences this time: 1. With the races I’ve trained for and run in the past year, I feel like I’ve made a bigger commitment to running than ever before. 2. When you can’t do something, you only want to do it more.  True story.

Since I was so antsy yesterday, I decided to allow myself a little test run on the treadmill while Zain napped.  I planned to stop at even the slightest twinge of pain.  I thought the treadmill was my best bet over a stroller run so that I could stop immediately if necessary and focus on my form.  I invested in some KT Tape Pro which was an excellent idea because I feel like it supported my foot and ankle even better.

KT Tape Pro = amazingness, plus a fun color

I planned to just run a mile.  Well, that mile felt pretty darn good so I figured I’d run just one more.  And then one more.  I forced myself to stop at 3.25 so I didn’t overdo.  I iced my foot and ankle after I got off the treadmill and I didn’t have any pain.  I had the tiniest bit of tightness in my ankle, but nothing serious.  I didn’t have any pain as the day progressed and no pain today.  Yay!

I’m still going to take it easy for a while since I don’t have any races to worry about at the moment.  I’m going to try to stick to just running every other day for the next week or so until I’m confident that my injury is behind me.

I’m very pleased to confirm I made a very important discovery on my run yesterday.  I have had this notion in my head for years that if I take more than 2 or 3 days off from running, I will completely lose all my fitness and my muscles will turn to mush.  I don’t know why I felt that way and I don’t believe there’s any scientific evidence to prove that.  Thankfully, yesterday I found that I could still run 3 miles without stopping and I didn’t feel like I was going to die.  I’m glad I proved my silly theory wrong.

I do believe what I had was a mild form of peroneal tendonitis based on the area of pain.  I say mild because it didn’t last long.  I have a feeling I know what caused it.  When I ran the Iron Girl Half Marathon, I wore my Saucony Kinvaras.  I had trained quite a bit in them and I love them dearly, but I’m afraid they might be the culprit.  I have high arches and they don’t seem to support my feet enough.  That’s what I get for straying from my beloved Mizunos.  And on that note, here’s my favorite professional picture from the Iron Girl half:

This isn't even a fake smile! Running toward a PR makes me happy

And this one just makes me laugh.  I threw my arms up above my head as I crossed the finish line and the photographer captured them on their way back down.  Combined with my feet not touching the ground, I really do look like I’m flying over the finish line:

I can fly if I flap my wings

Happy running!

This is not a race recap.  It’s a spectator recap.

I decided to be smart and not run the race given my foot pain.  I’m 99% sure that what I have is peroneal tendonitis.  The peroneal tendons run from the bottom of the outer foot up behind the ankle bone.  My pain started in my outer foot and has since spread into my ankle and feels exactly like peroneal tendonitis is described.  No, I have not been to a doctor yet to confirm this because the pain has let up to a degree since I stopped running; I think this is an injury that will just take time to heal.  I don’t have any swelling and I can put weight on my foot.  The answer seems to be rest and ice.  So rest and ice is what I shall do. I’ve promised myself that I won’t run again until I’m pain-free (and if it starts to hurt badly again, I will call the doctor).

I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t completely bummed about missing the MD Half Marathon.  Zain and I walked hubby to the starting line – it doesn’t get much better than being able to walk to the race start from your front door.  It was a misty morning and I was thankful for the rain to hide my tears.  Don’t worry, I’m totally joking.  I was more angry than sad that I couldn’t run.  Stupid foot!

Hubby is ready to race

Runners lining up! It's amazing to see so many runners out there running for a great cause

A misty morning - perfect weather for a race in my opinion!

On mommy's back and ready to spectate

These guys are so fast, their feet don't even touch the ground (the guy in the neon yellow was the winner)

Hubby is in there somewhere

We watched the runners as they went on their way and then headed back home.  Another awesome perk of having the race in our neighborhood – I could watch out my window for when the runners were looping back around into the ‘hood.  Zain and I went back outside to cheer on the super speedy runners.  The police on motorcycles leading the race even waved to Zain which pretty much made his day.  We saw the top male pass by with a huge lead.  Eventually, all the other speedy runners came by and Zain and I had a blast cheering for them.

We walked around the neighborhood a bit and cheered the runners on up some big hills.  I even promised them it was mostly downhill from there.  Some jokesters questioned my use of the word “mostly”.  What can I say? The MD Half is no joke when it comes to hills.  There’s a monster hill in the last mile before you head to the finish line.  It’s a beast and I run it all the time with the stroller.  I could feel their pain!

The picture really doesn't do this hill justice

I was stoked when we saw hubby around mile 11.  Zain was so excited.  He kept yelling “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” After we saw him pass by, I quickly mixed him up a bottle of Nuun (I know – I am an awesome wife) and we headed up to the finish line to see him cross it.

Here he comes!

Off he goes to get that PR!

When we saw him headed to the finish with a big goofy grin on his face, I was so excited.  I looked at the clock and saw it said 2:05.  Hubby got a shiny new PR! He also got bloody nipples (I told him to put Body Glide on!), but we’ll focus on the positives.  His previous PR was from the Rock ‘N’ Roll Half where he finished in 2:09.  I’m so proud of him for setting a new PR on a seriously tough hilly course.

I'm so proud of my love!

I think Zain and I deserve some medals for our awesome cheerleading

Hopefully next year, I’ll be able to run with hubby!

We got to take a picture with Dozer.  Dozer escaped from his yard during last year’s race and ran most of the half marathon.  He ran alongside us for part of the race.  He didn’t run this year, but he was there to greet everyone.

Meeting Dozer! It appears that I'm terrified of the dog from the way I'm standing, but I just had to angle myself that way so you could see the little man on my back

Have you ever been a race spectator? What kind of things to you like to say to runners? My go-to lines were – great job/awesome job, looking strong out there runners, come on and push it up this hill, you’re almost there, etc.  I’m not very creative and I was running out of things to say!

I’m no stranger to running injuries.  I dealt with some weird ones while I trained for the Marine Corps Marathon.  I say “weird” because my doctor couldn’t really put a name to my injury.  Basically, I had really terrible arch pain when I ran and in the end, I needed more arch support in my shoes.  A pretty simple solution, but it took a while to figure it out.

Leading up to the Baltimore Marathon and even more so while training for the Rock ‘N’ Roll USA Marathon, I had knee problems.  I was diagnosed with a typical case of runner’s knee.  I still have have it, but it’s not bad enough that I can’t keep running.  My left knee gets stiff and achy sometimes during my runs or afterward.  However, it rarely hurts bad enough to keep me from running.  There have been a handful of times I’ve had to skip a run or cut one short, but nothing too serious.

During my first attempt to run after the Iron Girl Half Marathon this past week, I had a sharp pain in my foot that was enough to stop me in my tracks.  I’ve never had pain like this while running.  It’s along the outside edge of my foot, just past my arch.  I literally could not run it hurt so bad during that first attempted run.  The odd thing was that I didn’t even have a hint of this pain before taking my first running steps.

The next day, I tried to run again.  I pushed myself through 2.4 miles, but I had to stop and walk several times when the pain got to be too much.  Ultimately, I had to stop completely because I was too uncomfortable.

I haven’t been to the doctor yet.  I know my mom is reading this and she’s going to call me in 5 minutes to tell me to call the doctor (right, mom?).  Since it came on so quickly, I want to see if maybe it will go away quickly too (I know that’s wishful thinking).  Consulting with Dr. Google, I have narrowed it down to 3 possibilities plantar fasciitis, peroneal tendonitis or stress fracture.  I don’t think it’s PF because I had a mild form of that in the past and this feels different.  Between peroneal tendonitis and a stress fracture, I think it’s most likely peroneal tendonitis – and that’s obviously what I’d rather it be.

I’m supposed to run the Maryland Half Marathon on Sunday and I cannot even express how excited I am for this race.  It was my first distance race last year since having Zain.  I was really looking forward to another race with my husband.  However, my stupid foot still flippin’ hurts.  It’s been sore since my short run on Wednesday.  It hurts if I stand or walk for too long.  I’d imagine 13.1 miles won’t feel so great.

I’m going to see how it feels tomorrow by going for a little test run; then I’ll decide if I’ll be up for Sunday’s race.  I’m honestly not feeling too optimistic.  I’m seriously bummed though since I had such a great race last weekend!

My saving grace for my runner’s knee has been KT Tape.  The patellar knee band did not work for me at all.  KT Tape applied with this runner’s knee application is amazing.  You sort of can see it on my knee in this picture:

KT Tape also has an application for peroneal tendonitis.  How perfect! Since that is my current self diagnosis, I taped my foot up this morning and will see if this helps throughout the day.

In the meantime, I have come to the conclusion that nothing makes you want to go for a run more than not being able to run.  I’m already going crazy, but I have no choice but to take it easy.  Since I hope to not entirely lose my fitness while I rest and figure out this issue, I’m going to head out for a bike ride with my 30lbs of cargo.

Would anyone else like to diagnose my mystery injury?

The starting and finish line

One of my goals for 2012 was to run a sub-2 hour half marathon.  The Iron Girl Columbia Half Marathon was the race where I had hoped to do just that.  As race day approached, I didn’t know if it was going to happen.  I was doubting my abilities and if I really had it it me for this race.  Even when I was waiting at the starting line chatting with my hubby, I actually asked him what I should do.  Do I try to run my hardest and reach for my goal? Or, should I just take it easy and enjoy the race? It took me until halfway through the race to finally make up my mind.

Still contemplating my race plan

When we arrived at the starting line, I did what every other woman there did – get in line for the porta-pots.  This was an all women’s race with 2,000 runners and there were a mere 20 porta-pots.  I think they needed closer to 200 of them.  I ended up having to skip the bathroom break and going straight to the starting line.

At the starting line, Zain kept saying "yay, yay, YAY!"

Off I go! Waving to my little running buddy on the sideline

For nearly the whole first 2 miles, we headed uphill.  I’m familiar with those hills though as I’ve run them many times in training and also part of them for the Clyde’s 10K.  I did my best to tackle them while my legs warmed up.  I tried not to let the excitement of the race start force me into going out to fast.

Mile 1 – 9:38

Mile 2 – 9:27

Mile 3 – 9:19

Mile 4 -9:23

Mile 5 -9:14

Mile 6 – 9:08

The hills weren’t the only thing that kept my pace slower in the beginning – I had to pee! It’s really distracting and uncomfortable to have to pee during a race, especially when there are no bathrooms to be found.  Finally, at mile 6, I stopped and asked a volunteer if any porta-pots were coming up.  She told me there were some at the next water stop in half a mile.

What she didn’t mention was that for over half a mile, we would be climbing a freaking mountain to get to that water stop.  I’ve run a lot of hills, but this particular hill was the biggest beast I’ve met.  It was a little over half a mile long and it was steep.  Nearly everyone around me slowed to a walk.  I kept running, but I wasn’t going much faster than those walking.  At the top, we headed across the halfway point timing mats and I spied the glorious porta-pots!

Mile 7 – 10:38

Mile 7 was my slowest thanks to the epic hill and bathroom break.  Once I hit the pavement again, I was really to roll! I sped up quite a bit and made up for my lost time.  That was the point where I seemed to finally make up my mind that I was going to go for my goal.

Mile 8 – 8:46

Mile 9 – 9:15

Mile 10 – 9:05

I kept trying to do mental math to see if I was going to be able to make my time goal.  I have a 10 minute mile mentality.  I was automatically calculating my time in my head estimating 10 minute miles.  Trying to calculate with the pace I was actually going was too much for my long distance race brain.

Mile 11 – 8:50

Mile 12 – 8:27

I kept feeling discouraged that I wasn’t going to make it.  I knew I could at least beat my previous half PR of 2:08 from the ZOOMA race last year, but I still needed to dig deeper.

Mile 13 – 7:26

This is the third time in my whole life that I’ve run a mile in the 7 minute range.  I gave it all I had in that last mile.  Thank God there was a good bit of downhill to the finish.  When I saw hubby and Zain cheering for me, I started to feel tears coming to my eyes.  Races make me so emotional.  I pushed as hard as I could to the finish and saw the clock time was 1:59 and ticking.  I knew my chip time was a little less than that.  My official time was 1:58:32, an average pace of 9:03.  I just barely made it.  My pace obviously fluctuated quite a bit throughout the race thanks to all the wonderful hills.

I see my loves!

My form isn't as bad as I thought it would be at this point!

Zain's thinking, "Wow, mommy is running fast! Why can't we run that fast when she's pushing me?"

Crossing the finish line and meeting my goal of a sub-2 hour half marathon was – hands down – the best race experience I’ve ever had.  I felt proud of myself.  I worked hard for this and I did it.  My runner’s high was in full effect and I was somewhere floating in the clouds with joy.

Another pretty medal for my collection

And a bracelet!

I started out this race having no idea if I was even capable of reaching my goal.  I took 10 minutes off my previous PR.  I won’t lie and say I felt amazing during every mile of the race because I definitely didn’t.  I had my moments where I questioned everything.  I fought for my PR, but I felt strong until the end.  When I ran the ZOOMA half last summer, the last 3 miles were grueling.  I didn’t feel that this time.  I know I’m a stronger runner now than I was then and that’s encouraging.

My race results usually peg me as a middle of the pack runner.  I’m finally moving up in my placement.  I came in at number 357 out of 1,617 finishers and number 62 out of 208 for my age group.

Now, onto the next one! I’ll be running the Maryland Half Marathon on Sunday with hubby.  I won’t be shooting for a PR this time, just enjoying the miles with my love!

As a runner, I pay far more attention to the weather than those times in my life when I was a non-runner.  I obsess over the hourly forecast, the percentage chance of precipitation, wind chill, humidity, and other details that can affect how I dress for my run and how I expect to feel during my run.  Not to mention the obsession that ensues as soon as a race day enters the 10 day forecast.  Then it becomes full-blown daily stalking of the forecast.

As a stroller-pushing runner, the weather doesn’t just affect me.  I have to make sure my little passenger is dressed appropriately for whatever weather we will encounter.

Happy to run in any weather as long as his personal assistant dresses him accordingly

Once upon a time, when I ran with my arms freely swinging as a I went – and not pushing a 30lb toddler – I loved running in the spring.  The warmth and sunshine as winter faded always reinvigorated my love for running.  And quite honestly, I used to take a hiatus from running when it got too cold so spring would always be my back-to-running season.

Spring is proving to be my least favorite time as a stroller-pushing runner.  Why? Because one day it’s 80 degrees and the next it’s 50.  I can’t stand the back and forth.  But more than anything, it’s the [insert expletive here] wind that ruins it for me! In the mornings, while Zain eats his breakfast, I stare out the window at the trees behind our house to watch for movement.  Okay, they seem to be holding still.  I assess them again 30 minutes later once Zain is done eating and the branches are waving around wildly.  I check my weather app on my phone (probably my most used app) and see that there are 15 to 25mph winds.  Nooooo!

Stop whining mommy and give me more snacks

Running with the stroller in the wind is my personal hell.  I can’t seem to escape it no matter what direction I run.  And it always manages to be the worst when I’m trying to scale a mountain go up a hill with my 30lbs of cargo.  It’s like I’m not evening moving and I’m just running in place.  It flat out sucks.  Knowing how hard my runs will be some days completely zaps my motivation.

It won’t be long before I’m whining about the humidity and the heat, but for now, my biggest runemy (running + enemy; I know, I’m so clever) is the wind.

What is your biggest runemy? Or maybe runstacle (running + obstacle) Maybe it’s time to stop making up words…

On Sunday morning, I ran my first ever 10K.  For some reason, I am drawn to the longer races – marathons and half marathons.  I have been neglecting the shorter ones.  I’ve only run a handful of 5Ks and never a 10K.  I was pretty stoked for an automatic PR, but I also had another ambitious goal – to maintain a sub-9 minute pace for the entire race.  I knew the course had the reputation of being hilly, but I stuck with my goal anyway.

At least I didn't have to push the stroller up those hills

The starting line was packed and there was no designation for approximate paces.  I lined myself up somewhere in the middle of the 2,000 runners and hoped I was in a good spot.  Turns out most people didn’t try to think out their pace logically in the pack like I did so the first mile involved a whole lot of weaving.

Walking to the starting line

Part 1 of my fan club

And part 2!

My legs felt stiff in the beginning and the first mile was mostly uphill.  I thought about throwing my pace goal out the window.  I kept on trucking, reminding myself it was only a little over 6 miles.  After training for 2 marathons back to back, 6 miles doesn’t seem so bad.

That's me in the pink!

The hills were tough, but I tackled them the best I could and passed quite a few people on each hill.  I was thrilled to see that I was actually maintaining a sub-9 minute splits the whole time.  On the hills, I would see my pace creep back up over 9 so I’d force myself to push a little harder.  For the last mile, I so badly wanted to pull my average pace down into the 7 minute range, but there was yet another hill and it wasn’t happening.  My pace for the last quarter of a mile was 7:01 though!  I’ve never run so hard for a race in my life.  I was glad I made the decision to wear my hydration belt so I didn’t have to bother with stopping at any of the water stations.

This is what running as fast I can looks like

Hubby is an awesome race photographer

My official time was 53:14; an average pace of 8:31 – super fast for me! I don’t know all my finish placement details, but I know I was number 580 out of over 1,700 finishers.  Certainly not a win or anything, but that’s pretty up there for me!

Looking like I'm going to pass out post-race

Super fast!

I found that I really loved the 10K distance.  I definitely want to run more shorter distance races after my next 2 half marathons.  As much as I love distance running, I’m ready for a little break.  Time to focus on shorter distances and faster running!

Time to rehydrate!

After I got home from the race, I went out and ran another 4 miles with Zain in the stroller.  I’ve maintained a streak of running double digits every weekend since the Baltimore Marathon in October and I didn’t want to break it.  I really had to fight to get it done because I was so beat from the race, but I did it!

What’s your favorite race length?

For Easter, I made one of my favorite desserts that I get in Paris – les tartes aux fruit (fruit tarts, in case you can’t figure that out).  My tarts are pretty flippin’ awesome, I must say.  The crust is sweet and crunchy.  The crème pâtissière is like heaven.  And the fruit makes you feel a teensy bit less guilty about eating them.

You know you're drooling

While taking the tart crusts out of the oven, I managed to burn my wrist.  I’m really talented like that.  The spot on my wrist is right next to where I wear my Garmin.  So that if I were to run wearing my Garmin, it would inevitably rub on my burn.  I know – poor me.

It hurts more than it looks like it would, I promise

Because wearing my watch on my right wrist feels about as comfortable as wearing my running shorts backwards, I opted to go watchless for my run today instead.  My last watchless run was sometime soon after the Baltimore Marathon and I remember that it felt great.  I promised myself I would go watchless more often, but here I am 6 months later finally doing another watchless run.  It was so nice to not obsess over my pace and the distance I’d covered.  It didn’t stop me from thinking several times “I wonder what my pace is.  I bet it’s really slow.  I feel so slow.”  I had to tell my brain to shut up a few times.  I also kept trying to pause my watch when I had to stop to cross the street, but there was no watch on my wrist.  I looked down at my wrist to check my watch no less than 20 times out of habit.

I thought I ran about 5 or 6 miles, but when I mapped it out on Map My Run, I actually ran 6.83.  You know what I thought when I saw that? Man, if I had my watch on, I would have known my distance and could have made it an even 7.  Le sigh.  It’s an obsession!  Even so, I had a great run with Zain.  He talked to me pretty much non-stop which is always entertaining.

Thank you, tarts, for burning me and thus allowing me to have a peaceful run.  I really am going to make an effort to go watchless more often so that I can allow myself to have a more relaxed run.

Do you run watchless? If so, how often do you do it?

On Sunday, hubby and I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run in Washington, DC.  I had no goals going into this race.  I knew I could try to push my pace and “race,” but I didn’t want to.  I wanted to run alongside my husband and enjoy the scenery in beautiful downtown DC.  I didn’t feel the need to shoot for a PR; it was my first 10 mile race so that means an automatic PR! Plus, I just wanted a fun no-pressure-on-myself race.

We picked up our packets on Friday at the National Building Museum in DC.  The expo was well-organized, but very busy.  We had to wait in one line to get into the building, another line to get our bibs, and yet another line for our shirts.  All that waiting around, plus the metro ride, with a 30 lb toddler on my back was quite exhausting!

Hanging out at the expo

Hello there

On Sunday, the fun started long before arriving at the starting line.  When hubby and I hopped on the metro, the train was full of runners.  We had to stand because there were no open seats and I had the pleasure of witnessing something disturbing.  This old runner guy takes something out of his bag.  It looked like a tube of toothpaste, but it turns out it was some kind of chafing cream.  He proceeded to apply several layers of cream to his crotch right there standing in the metro while chatting with his runner buddy.  That, my friends, is one of the many reasons why you don’t handlebars in the metro!

When we arrived downtown, you could feel the excitement in the air.  There were runners covering the National Mall.

Walking to the starting line

A gorgeous place for a race!

We went straight to our starting corral because we didn’t have much time to spare; that meant no last porta-potty stop.  The corrals were packed.  Insanely packed.  People were squeezing in where there was no room to stand so I ended up with some chick’s ponytail in my face for 10 minutes.  I’m a big fan of personal space so I didn’t really like that part.  That also added to my increasing desire lately to start running smaller races.

Waiting...and waiting...and waiting

We passed the time by taking pictures of ourselves.

Hubby is super excited

Wait, no he's not

Okay, he's a little bit excited

While waiting for our wave to start, all the fast people were already tearing through the course.  They announced that the elites made it through the first mile in 4:27.  4:27!! That blows my mind.

I was glad from the start that I had no time goal for this race because the crowd never really thinned out.  We were in close proximity to other runners the entire time.  There was a lot of weaving and dodging going on.  I really enjoyed taking it easy and enjoying the miles with hubby without any pressure on myself.  I took a lot of pictures throughout the race.

Off we go!

SO many runners!

There were nearly 17,000 finishers!

You can't beat running with a view of the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument

The Kennedy Center

Would you please stop taking pictures?!

We took a bathroom break about halfway through when we finally came upon a set of porta-pots that didn’t have a line with 30 people in it.  Then we were on our way again.  Hubby started to not feel so hot around mile 7.  He asked me to slow down so I did, but he kept having to remind me (sorry, love!).  The course was mostly flat which was AWESOME.  The only hill that was semi-tough was in the last mile.  Hubby was whining that he needed to slow down and he couldn’t do it, waaah waaah waaah.  So I literally took his hand and dragged him up that hill.  I also sang him songs and cheered him on like a crazy person.  I think I just annoyed him more than anything.  Hey, at least it was a distraction, right love?

I loved these 2! I hope one day Zain will run a race with me and we can wear matching shirts

All the Cherry Blossoms were gone already except for these guys...someone said they are a different type of cherry blossom

Passing the Jefferson Memorial

This would have been even prettier with the cherry blossoms!

We're having so much fun, can't you tell?

Maybe I'm the only one having fun

The only really hard part for me during the race was East Potomac Park/Hains Point.  It’s not a difficult area to run, but it’s all mental because you can see the distance you have to go around it.  That was a very very very hard part of the Marine Corps Marathon for me so it holds some bad memories!

Toward the end, I really wanted us to pick it up until the finish.  The crowd was so energizing and I just wanted to really push it.  Hubby told me to go on alone, but I refused.  We crossed the finish line hand in hand.  I hope they caught a good picture of us!

2 more medals for our collection

Our finish time was 1:45:02; an average pace of 10:30.  No, we weren’t speedy, but we had fun so that’s all the matters!  While the race was super crowded, I’d still love to run it again.  I have never been so in love with a race course.  I loved running past all the monuments.  There were spectators along most of the course that kept us energized.  It was really awesome.

And because I can’t make it all about me and hubby, here is a picture of my usual running buddy napping on Sunday afternoon; he’s so sweaty you’d think he ran 10 miles!

On Tuesday, as I was huffing and puffing through the first 2 miles of my 6 mile stroller run, a thought kept running through my mind – I really wish I didn’t care so much about my pace.  My comfortable pace is a 10 minute mile, but I don’t want to run a 10 minute mile.  I want to run faster.  Why? Does speed make one runner better than another? I don’t think so.  I still have it stuck in my head though that speed = success.

Through doing speed work while training for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, I did improve my pace and I can comfortably run in the 9 minute mile range.  I still want to do better than that.  I’ll admit I am totally envious when I see people who do long runs in the 7 minute and 8 minute range.  That amazes me.  People who are faster than that are just crazy .  I secretly wish I could run that fast just so I could be done with my long runs sooner.  I mean if I could run 20 miles in 2 and a half hours, I’d do it every weekend.  Well, maybe not every weekend!

The thing is that I don’t think that other people that run 9 or 10 minute or slower miles are slow runners.  I’m just hard on myself when it comes to running.  During that 6 mile stroller run, my first 2 miles were above the 10 minute mark and I felt like I’d never warm up enough to go any faster.  Then a funny thing happened.  I had the stroller weather cover on because it was 35 degrees and Zain stuck his tiny little hand out of the cover vent and was waving it around.

Hello there

He kept saying “happy, happy, happy!” Over the weekend, we celebrated hubby’s birthday.  Zain didn’t quite get “happy birthday” down, but he could say “happy.”  He’s been saying happy all week.  When he started saying “happy” during our run, it was the perfect reminder of why I run.  It makes me happy.  While pushing the stroller is tough, I love running with Zain.  I love his company and when he talks to me while we run.  When he kept saying “happy,” it was just the reminder I needed.  Running = happiness.  It doesn’t matter what my pace is.  What matters is that I’m doing it.

Running in your PJs is the cool thing to do

While I fretted about my pace those first 2 miles, I chipped away at my time as I went.  I ran the next 3 miles in the 9 minute range and the last mile in 8:43.  Yesterday, I ran a little over 5 miles with Zain and opted to run hills.  Hills with the stroller are brutal, but I know they’re good for me.  I ran those hills with an average pace of 9:44; I used to run hills with the stroller with an average pace closer to an 11 minute mile.  One of these days, I’ll learn to stop stressing over my pace and pay attention to the small improvements I have made.  In the meantime, I’m thankful that I have my happy boy to remind me why I love to run.

Happiness is having this guy as your running buddy